Disney Officially Explains Divisive Mandalorian & Grogu Super Bowl Trailer Decision

Lucasfilm surprised us all with The Mandalorian and Grogu‘s teaser at the Super Bowl 2026, but not necessarily in a good way. It was widely expected that a TV spot with new footage would be shown during the big game, but what wasn’t expected was that The Mandalorian & Grogu‘s Super Bowl release would be a parody of old commercials, in particular the Budweiser Clydesdale ads. Directed by Jon Favreau, the 30-second clip sees din Djarin and Grogu being pulled across a snow planet by a herd of tauntauns.

The reactions to The Mandalorian & Grogu teaser were mostly ones of confusion. After all, this is the first Star Wars movie since 2019, so it’s certainly a bold approach to the marketing campaign. Of course, while it might’ve seemed like madness, there was some method to it (as you’d hope, given these spots cost millions of dollars). Lucasfilm’s marketing brand lead Ryan Stankevich revealed [via Variety] that the plan was to create something that was “instantly iconic, cinematic, and quintessentially Star Wars,” explaining:

“Our creative and marketing team landed on a unique concept that gave a nod to classic Big Game spots of years past. It captured the warmth, humor, and emotional connection between these two beloved characters and was the perfect next step for our campaign as we lead up to their big screen debut this summer.”

In addition to that, the spot’s focus on the movie’s title characters was also discussed by Jackson George, Disney’s executive VP of creative marketing, who said:

“Grogu is more than a character; he’s a pop culture phenomenon. Riding alongside the heroic Mandalorian, he brings lightness, humor, joy, and an instant emotional connection that transcends the moment. This Big Game spot celebrates how deeply we love and connect with these characters, reminds us of the fun, heart, and spectacle that defines Star Wars, and offers a bite-sized promise of the experience audiences will get when they see these two beloved icons on the big screen.”

Will The Super Bowl Spot Help The Mandalorian & Grogu?

With over 100 million viewers, the Super Bowl is the chance to sell a movie to one of the largest possible audiences, many of whom will only be learning of a film’s existence for the first time when they see the TV spot or trailer during the game. To that end, then yeah, there will at least be some greater awareness of The Mandalorian & Grogu, but has it done anything to actually generate excitement for the film, especially as a theatrical release?

The spot is fun enough, but the context around it is what makes it a bizarre choice. The first trailer for The Mandalorian and Grogu was not well received, and did little to suggest this couldn’t have just been The Mandalorian Season 4 or that it’s worth seeing in theaters (which is an important distinction now more than ever before). Because of the lacklustre marketing before now, then there was a sense that Lucasfilm really needed to nail the Super Bowl to turn things around, and it hasn’t done that.

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Even as a fan of The Mandalorian, and someone who has plenty of “Baby Yoda” merchandise, I currently struggle to see the appeal of this movie right now, especially coming off the back of Season 3, which was a step down from the first two. Similarly, it’s also very unclear what exactly the story is.

That’s not to say it should spoil things, but right now it feels as though there’s nothing to spoil, and that’s a bit of a problem. And if that’s true for me, then it’s going to be even more confusing for general audiences who are just learning there’s a new Star Wars movie, with no idea what it’s really about and little to hook them into seeing it.

The one hope for Lucasfilm in this is kids. They’re obviously not the ones who are going to be complaining about it online, but Grogu has proved popular with younger Star Wars fans. If the movie can appeal to them, and the demand of seeing Mando and Grogu on the big screen is high enough amid that demographic, that’s where it could still be a winner.

True family movies are still too few and far between, even though they’re proven at the box office, and The Mandalorian and Grogu doesn’t have much competition on that front. Combined with the holiday weekend, that might be it’s only hope, unless it can find another by improving its marketing campaign.

The Mandalorian and Grogu releases in theaters on May 22nd, 2026.

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